Instagram Shoppable Tags Start Appearing on iOS Michael Kwan November 1, 2016 News As massive and as pervasive as their reach might me, a number of social media platforms continue to struggle with how to make money. Now, Instagram is trying something new by encouraging you to shop from directly within the Instagram app on your iPhone. Except, you can’t actually buy anything. Announced via the company’s business blog, the shopping tags (or shoppable tags) embed a “tap to view products” button on select posts from select brands. This feature is still in the testing phase and it’s only available on iOS at the moment, though it’ll presumably roll out to more brands and to Android devices eventually. When you hit “Tap to view products” shoppable tags in Instagram, you’ll bring up the equivalent of a Facebook Instant Article from directly within the Instagram app. You don’t get booted to your web browser. This new page, which loads much more quickly than launching a browser, shows more product information and more pictures. If you decide that you do indeed want to buy that Kate Spade purse, you can then tap on the “shop now” link to get sent to the retailer’s website. It’s at that time that your browser actually loads up. For now, most of the participating brands are clothing and accessory oriented, including Michael Kors, Tory Burch, JackThreads, Warby Parker, Abercrombie & Fitch and Levi’s. Check out the video demos below for a closer look at how these shoppable tags work. Good idea or no? Via TC Share This With The World!
